RUGBYWA 201 6 COMPETITION RULES SENIOR MEN’S /WOMEN’S (METROPOLITAN) COMPETITION 1 INDEX TO 2016 COMPETITION RULES Meanings and Definitions Page 3 Applicable Laws for Competition Matches Page 4 Confirmation and Grading of Teams Page 4 Registration of Players, Coaches & Club Officials Page 6 Eligibility of Players & Coaches to Participate Page 8 Transfer of Players & Coaches between Clubs and/or Unions Page 9 Rules for Regular Season Competition Matches Page 10 Competition Points & Club Championships Page 11 Duration of Matches Page 12 Rolling Substitutions Page 13 Medical Attendants Page 13 Water Attendants Page 13 Suitably Trained & Experienced Front Rowers Page 14 Team Sheets Page 15 Match Results Page 15 Forfeiting Matches Page 16 Ground Unfit for Play Page 17 Player Uniforms Page 17 Obligations of Home/Hosting Clubs Page 18 Appointment of Match Officials & Ground Marshalls Page 19 Rules for Finals Matches Page 20 Matches, Times & Venues Page 21 Eligibility for Finals Matches Page 22 Dispensations Page 23 Protests, Appeals, Complaints and Disputes Page 23 Appeals Against the Competition Manager Page 24 Consequences of Failure to pay Fines Page 24 Approval, Amendment and Notification of Competition Rules Page 24 Effect and Consequences of a Temporary Suspension (Yellow Card) Page 25 Effect and Consequences of an Ordering Off (Red Card) Page 26 Citing Page 26 Appeals from the Judicial Committee Page 26 Misconduct Page 26 Fees and Fines Page 26 Annexure A: Game Management Guidelines Page 28 Annexure B: ARU Disciplinary Rules Page 29 Annexure C: U20s Rule Variations Page 31 Annexure D: Women’s Rule Variations Page 34 Annexure E: Player Contracts Page 35 2 1. CITATION These rules may be cited as the 2016 Senior Men’s (Metropolitan) Competition Rules. 2. MEANINGS AND DEFINITIONS OF TERMS In these rules the following interpretations shall apply, unless the context otherwise clearly requires: (a) “ARU” means the Australian Rugby Union. (b) “Best Endeavours” means ‘prompt and diligent action using all reasonably available resources and powers, in order to achieve the intended outcome’. (c) “Board” means the Board of Directors of RugbyWA or any Committee thereof or any individual director or employee of RugbyWA to which the Board has delegated its authority. (d) “Club” means a club approved by the Board to participate in the Competition and “Clubs” shall have an equivalent meaning. (e) “Competition” means the 2016 Senior Men’s (Metropolitan) Competition between Clubs, to which these Competition Rules shall apply. (f) “Competition Administrator” means a person who assists the Competition Manager in the day to day administration of the Competition. (g) “Competition Manager” means the employee of RugbyWA who has been nominated by the Board to be responsible for the day to day operational management of the Competition. (h) “Ground Marshall” means a club official whom that person’s Club has notified to RugbyWA as being responsible for performing the duties prescribed pursuant to Rule 10(g). (i) “IRB” means International Rugby Board. (j) “Judicial Committee” means the Judicial Committee that has in any given year been duly appointed by the Board. (k) “Match Official” means Referee, Assistant Referee, Touch Judge, and the Sideline Referees (the latter officials are also known as “4’s” and “5’s”). (l) “Participant” means any player, coach, official or volunteer registered as such with the Australian Rugby Union. (m) “Official” means a Club Committee Member or other club official. (n) “Union” means the Western Australian Rugby Union operating as RugbyWA. (o) “WARURA” means the Western Australian Rugby Union Referees Association. (p) “Western Force (WF) Contracted Player” WF Contracted Player. Is a player who is formally contracted on any level of contract termed as any of; Standard Player contract (30 players), Extended Player contract (5 players), or Supplementary player contract (3 players). This definition does not include any player on a scholarship with the Future Force. 3 3. APPLICABLE LAWS FOR COMPETITION MATCHES All competition matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game, Law Rulings and Regulations as published by the IRB (including Under 20 and Seven a side variations if applicable) together with all relevant by-laws, directives and judicial procedures of both the ARU and RugbyWA. Matches shall also be played and refereed in accordance with the ARU’s 2016 Community Rugby Game Management Guidelines ( See: Annexure A ) and these Competition Rules. 4. CONFIRMATION AND GRADING OF TEAMS (a) In order to participate in the Competition a Club must, by the date nominated by the Competition Manager, submit online forms (as communicated by RWA staff) in respect of each team that Club wishes to enter. For the 2016 competition, the date nominated by the Competition Manager is Friday 1 1th March 2016 . (b) Coaching Staff . Prior to the start of the regular season the Club must provide: 1) Full written details of all of that team’s coaching staff including their contact details and details of their coaching or other relevant accreditations and/or certificates. 2) If a team has only one coach then, for the purposes of these Rules, that coach will be considered to be the Head Coach of that team. But, if a team has more than one coach, then the club must specify who the Head Coach of that team is. 3) Each team nominated by a Club should have a different individual as its Head Coach. (c) Club Referee . All Clubs playing in the senior competition are encouraged to develop at least one new individual to take up refereeing in the 2016 season. To encourage this any club wishing to conduct a “Home Carnival” which includes a club day with Juniors through seniors playing at Club ground on any one day, must be able to supply a minimum of one (1) Club Referee to enable this to occur. Without the additional referees from clubs these home carnival rounds are unable to be supported. Qualification for this Referee are as follows: 1) New Referee must undertake a Referee Foundation course as conducted by RWA. 2) Course must be completed prior to the 3rd May 2016. 3) Referee then must complete the process to become an accredited referee – (club nominated referee). 4) Upon becoming accredited this person or persons will need to be available for at least the remainder of the season to assist with ensuring there are sufficient 4 referees available to officiate at all required junior and senior matches held in metropolitan WA. 5) To become an accredited referee, the individual will generally need to officiate in at least five (5) games during the season. 6) Any club failing to comply with this clause will be unable to nominate or host for the conduct of a “Home Carnival” in season 2016. (d) Governance . By submitting a Team nomination a Club shall, for the purposes of these Rules, be deemed to have agreed that, for the duration of the 2016 Competition, it will be contractually bound to abide by and accept both the Constitution of RugbyWA and these Competition Rules, or such amended Competition Rules as may, from time to time, be substituted for them by the Board. (e) Club Affiliation . The Board may, in its absolute discretion, invite Clubs to apply for admission to the competition and may, in its absolute discretion decide to admit Clubs to or exclude Clubs from the competition. (f) Team Grading . The Competition Manager shall (at his or her absolute discretion) determine the grade or grades in which all nominated teams may compete in the competition, taking into account all relevant matters and considerations including (but not limited to) the competition structure that has been approved by the Board for use in the 2016 Competition. (g) Grading appeal . A Club wishing to appeal to the Board against a grading decision made by the Competition Manager pursuant to Rule 4(e) must lodge a Notice of Appeal with the Competition Manager. That Notice must set out fully and completely all the Grounds of Appeal and must be lodged within seven (7) days of the date on which the Club in question received notification of the grading decision that is the subject of the appeal. Upon receipt, the Notice of Appeal shall be immediately referred to the Board for a decision and the Board must consider and decide upon the matter promptly. The decision of the Board shall thereafter be communicated to the Club and, once communicated, that decision shall be final. (h) After expiration of the seven (7) day appeal period, or after the Board has decided any Appeal against a grading decision and notified that decision to the team or Club concerned, that decision and that grading will become binding and although a team or Club that later decides to withdraw from a grade to which it has been allocated may still do so, that team or Club will nonetheless continue to be liable for any fees for that team unless the Competition Manager, after due consideration of all of the relevant circumstances, exercises his or her discretion (which discretion is hereby expressly granted) to waive those fees. 5 5. REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS, COACHES AND CLUB OFFICIALS (a) Each Club must ensure that all its players, coaches and club officials are properly registered with the Australian Rugby Union and entered into RugbyLink. Each Club must also ensure that a person who is not so registered is not permitted to take part in any rugby related activity. Any Club which, contrary to this Rule, does permit a person who is not so registered to take part in any rugby related activity will, in addition to any other penalty that may be imposed on the Club or the person pursuant to any other provision of these Rules, be liable to pay a fine in the amount which has been prescribed by the Board.